Nightmare

We handed our two miniature Schnauzers to Kaitlin, owner of Pawfect, on 8 July for five weeks while overseas. We were promised updates and photos but received none until I eventually requested an update. On 31 July I received a WhatsApp informing me that she had taken the female Schnauzer to the vet as there was an “opening on her back as well as that she was feeling under the weather”. She apologised profusely and offered to pay the bill, which she did.

The facts, as per the professionals who treated her: She was admitted without her name tag under a false name as Kaitlin's grandmother’s dog. She had two puncture wounds on either side of her spine which were bleeding profusely. They drained about 1/2 cup of pus per side. Several drains were placed to allow drainage. She had septicemia, was in organ failure, was too weak to stand and wasn’t aware of human interactions. The vet said she was hours from death and if she was older she would not have survived. Euthanasia was presented to Kaitlin as an option as her condition was so severe. She was in critical care for 4 days. Taking into account her condition when admitted, she was injured at least 95 hours prior to admission.

On 4 August I sent an email to the veterinary clinic as I was not satisfied with the feedback I was getting from Pawfect; if she was better and eating rice & chicken, why was she still in hospital? I could prove to the vet she was my dog as she is chipped. From then on the vets updated us. We were shocked at how dire her health situation was. By 12 August she had stabilised and recovered from sepsis and they could close the wound. The stitching was about 20 cm long, a massive wound. We took her home two days later, went for two reassessments and sutures were finally removed on 27 August.

Kaitlin claims to not know what happened and claims that she was asleep while the incident occurred and suggested in a subsequent telephone conversation that the dog could have scratched herself on something. Examination of the injury, shape and size of the puncture wounds and the severity of the infection suggests that the most likely source of the puncture wounds was a bite.

We handed her a perfectly healthy dog, got one back scarred for life. The dogs were filthy. Owners of pets boarding at Pawfect are denied access on both arrival and departure, allegedly to protect the other dogs from disruption but this prevents inspection of the premises. She was misleading and untruthful on various levels.